When you start Windows Firewall and get error 0x8007042c – »The service or dependency group did not start» associated with the fact that the firewall could not start, it is probably mainly due to these two reasons: Windows Firewall or its dependencies required for the firewall service to start are not running or malware is preventing the firewall from starting.
What's more, in some cases, having third party firewall software can disable windows firewall and uninstalling it should fix the problem instantly.
This article will provide some fixes, including malware analysis and removal, and starting the Windows Firewall and its dependencies. This error applies to Windows Vista to Windows 10.
Method 1: start windows firewall service and its dependencies
You can start Windows Firewall services and make sure they start automatically in the future. Follow these steps to do it:
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Press the Windows key, write services. Right click on the Services application and then select Run as administrator. Accept the message or enter your credentials when prompted. You can also open Services by typing cmd in the start menu, opening as administrator, typing services.msc and then hitting Enter.
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In the Services window, scroll until you see Windows Firewall and then double click on it.
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In the Startup type option, select Automatic.
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If the service status is Stopped, click Start.
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Click Apply and then OK.
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In the same window, find Base Filtering Engine and then double click on it.
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In the Startup type option, select Automatic.
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If the service status is Stopped, click Start.
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Click Apply and then OK.
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Restart Windows and then confirm if Windows Firewall is enabled.
Method 2: start associated services
Services associated with Windows Firewall may not be ready. You can run the following commands at an elevated command prompt or by following the steps outlined below.
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Press the Windows key + R then write notepad.
Copy the following commands and paste them into the Notepad window.
sc config MpsSvc start = auto
sc config KeyIso start = auto
sc config BFE start = auto
sc config FwcAgent start = auto
MpsSvc network shutdown
net start MpsSvc
stop net KeyIso
Net start KeyIso
net start Wlansvc
net start dot3svc
home grandson EapHostnet
BFE net stop
net start BFE
Net start PolicyAgent
net start MpsSvc
net start IKEEXT
net start DcaSvcnet
FwcAgent net stop
net start FwcAgent
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In the Notepad window, go to File> Save As and then select All Files in the field “Save as type”, select Desktop in the side panel, type repair.bat in the File name box, and then click Save and close the Notepad Window.
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Go to your desktop, right click on repair. bat that you created in Notepad and select Run as administrator. Accept the prompts that appear on your screen. If you are prompted at the command prompt window to stop a service, type Y and then Enter.
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Restart Windows and try to activate the Firewall now.
You can also try running this script that I made for extensive repair. Right click on the file and run it as administrator. Follow the instructions in the command prompt window to repair your firewall.
Method 3: Scan for malware
The presence of malware can prevent Windows Firewall from starting, as it can prevent malware from communicating with the local server. Use your existing malware software to scan and remove malware or follow these steps to install and use anti-malware software,
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Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware by clicking this link.
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After downloading it, install it from the download directory.
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Go to the Scan tab> Custom scan. Check all the boxes in the left panel and select your units in the right panel.
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Click on Scan and then Quarantine All after the scan has been done.
Method 4: scan and repair system files
Files related to services can be damaged or deleted by a virus. Using the SFC utility can help solve this problem.
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Press the Windows button, type cmd, right click and select Run as administrator and then press Enter. Accept any message when it appears on the screen.
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Type sfc / scannow and press Enter. The utility will search for and repair all missing or corrupted system files.
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Reboot when the process is finished and try to activate Windows Firewall.
